Biography of Mohammad Yousuf :-Mohammad Yousuf is a former International cricketer from Pakistan; he was born on 27 August 1974 in Lahore, Pakistan.
Yousuf belonged to a rare breed of cricketers, raised from the slums of Railway Colony Lahore to making centuries on the most respected arenas and podiums were Mohammad Yousuf’s excellence and elegance loaded with heaps of natural techniques that are still uncommon.
Yousuf started playing cricket in the Railway Colony and suburbs of Lahore, he belonged to a poor family, and his father was a grade 4 railway coolie. Yousuf was known as Yousuf Yuhanna before 2005, and he was the only non-Muslim captain in the history of Pakistan cricket. He was fifth in the list of Christian cricketers.
The biography of Mohammad Yousuf is full of ups and down, ill fate, complete transformation from a non-religious Christian to a fundamentalist Muslim and missionary of Islam, a prominent member of the Tablighi Jamaat of Pakistan.
Biography of Mohammad Yousuf
- Born:- 27 August 1974 (age 42), Lahore
- Spouse:- Fatima
- Parents:- Youhana Maseeh
- Date Joined:- 28 March 1998 (Pakistan national cricket team)
- Siblings:- Muhammad Irshad, Muhammad Ajmal, Muhammad Jamil
- Children:- Daniyal Yousuf
Muhammad Yousuf was oozing talent at the age 15, he was hired by various cricket clubs at that age on daily wage, he was a taxi and rickshaw driver in the latter stage of his life playing cricket as his hobby.
After being recognized for his patience and skills to middle every one of it, Yousuf’s days changed in no time, he broke several world records in batting, and most are still unbeatable.
Yousuf was clearly distinctive from the regular cricketers and artificially trained batsmen by his innovative footwork technique. He was primarily made for test cricket though he did brilliantly in ODI format.
Mohammad Yousuf converted to Islam in 2005, the year following it was his career-best, he made few world records, his most notable were the highest number of runs scored by any player in any format.
He scored 1788 runs in a calendar year in just 11 test games. Yousuf broke the 30-year old record of Sir Vivian Richards. It was the peak, he began fading in batting and fielding since 2007, the Australia tour was the most miserable one.
Mohammad Yousuf was sacked from the test team and then told by PCB that Yousuf is no more in the future plan after 2010.
His last ODI was against England after which he declared retirement from all formats of the game. Mohammad Yousuf serves as the senior sports analyst for the leading news channels including GEO, ARY Network, and Samaa TV.
Muhammad Yousuf Stats and Records
Yousuf was the backbone of Pakistan’s middle-order especially when partnered with the greats of his time, Younis Khan, and Inzamam Ul Haq.
The right-hand batsman knew how to play on merit, he was fond of singles and doubles, his job had always been to neutralize the bowling attack and to block the fall of wickets on short notices and he did it quite successfully throughout his career.
Mohammad Yousuf had 90 test matches in 12 years. He scored 7530 runs with one of the best batting averages overall after playing 90+ tests. He averaged 52.29 with 28th position overall and third-highest by any Pakistani behind Younis Khan and Javed Miandad.
Once who couldn’t afford to buy a decent bat topped most of the batting records for Pakistan. In 288 ODIs, Mohammad Yousuf scored 9720 falling short of 280 runs to become one of the greatest batsmen to achieve that rarest feat.
His batting average lurked around 41.71 that is the second-best batting average by a Pakistani batsman in ODIs only behind the Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas. Mohammad Yousuf’s highest score was 141 not out in ODIs and 233 in Test cricket.
In ODIs, Mohammad Yousuf only bowled two balls and took 1 wicket with a bowling average of just one run. Yousuf only played three T20i; he scored 50 runs with a batting average of 16. Overall, in 134 test matches, Mohammad Yousuf managed to surpass 10,000 runs with a batting average of 49.28.
In 2006 against the touring West Indian team, Mohammad Yousuf scored centuries in both the innings of the test match becoming the sixth batsman for Pakistan to do so and 30th International cricket to achieve that feat.
Yousuf is among the few batsmen to score a century against every Test playing nation and in all the test playing nations. Mohammad Yousuf is also the first player to get out on 190s three times in his career.
Mohammad Yousuf played for Warwickshire as the overseas player in 2011 season of County Cricket. Yousuf contested in the controversial Indian Cricket League in 2007 and 2008 season, he was also temporarily banned fromcontesting in the illegal league.
In 2008, Mohammad Yousuf played a short season for Lancashire. Yousuf was a regular player of Lahore since 1998; he was also hired by WAPDA, ZTBL, and PIA.
International Centuries
Muhammad Yousuf scored 24 centuries and 33 fifties in 90 test matches. His 15 centuries and 64 ODI fifties were always valuable and crucial for his position at the middle order to build a respectable partnership. Overall in First-class circuit, Mohammad Yousuf hits 29 hundred and 49 half-centuries.
International Career
Mohammad Yousuf made his International debut in Tests against South Africa. In 90 matches, Yousuf was the third fastest Pakistani batsman to fifty runs; he completed 50 runs in a test match in 27 balls.
The year 2002 and 2003 was one of his best years before converting to Islam. Mohammad Yousuf was in a streak of most runs by any batsman without getting out in 2002 season against Zimbabwe.
In the same year, Mohammad Yousuf scored a fifty off 23 balls and extended it to a 68-ball hundred runs inning. In 2004, Mohammad Yousuf was again at his best when he scored a century against Aussies in Australia in the Boxing Day Test.
Exactly a year after scoring that hundred, Mohammad Yousuf was rejoicing his double ton at home ground Lahore against the visiting English cricket team. In 2006 when Pakistan toured England, his double century was followed by another 192-run inning and then 128 in the final test of the series.
The year 2006 was best of all for Mohammad Yousuf, he was named Cricketer of the Year for his 1700+ runs in a calendar year in Test format. In 2007, Wisden selected him as Cricketer of the year for the previous year 2006.
In 2007, Yousuf also received IC Cricketer of the Year award for his magnificent tons at home and away. His 1788 runs included 12 centuries that it is a world record. After Mohammad Yousuf, no new talent is found to handle the middle order in the way Yousuf did, Younis Khan was the exception.
The beautiful trend of performing Sajdah after scoring a century was invented by Mohammad Yousuf. The gesture is conducted by Muslim cricketers and footballers all over the world these days.
After a couple of controversies since 2008 and then a humiliating series defeat against Australia. Mohammad Yousuf finally retired from all forms of International cricket after PCB banned him for his behavior to teammates.
Mohammad Yousuf Family and Personal Life
Mohammad Yousuf was born to a Christian family. His father, Youhana Maseeh was a grade four railway employee in Lahore. Mohammad Yousuf wife Fatima Yousuf converted to Islam in 2009 after Yousuf asked her to study Quran. The couple is blessed with a son Daniyal Yousuf.
